The Uber driver accused of killing six people in a mass shooting in Kalamazoo, Mich., Saturday stood emotionless in court today as he was formally charged with six counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder and eight gun charges stemming from the rampage.
Jason Brian Dalton, wearing an orange jumpsuit and glasses, appeared in in Kalamazoo County Court by video.
“I would prefer to remain silent,” Dalton said when offered a chance to address the court.
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Dalton was believed to have picked up and dropped off Uber passengers between shootings, and even went looking for another fare after his last round of killings, officials said.
Uber confirmed that Dalton was an Uber driver and said he had passed a background check.
“We are horrified and heartbroken at the senseless violence in Kalamazoo,” Uber’s chief security officer Joe Sullivan said in a statement. “We have reached out to the police to help with their investigation in any way that we can.”
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An attorney released a statement from Dalton’s family expressing “our deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the victims of the shootings. This type of violence has no place in our society, and we express our love and support for everyone involved. We intend to cooperate in every way that we can to help determine why and how this occurred.”
Dalton, 45, admitted to investigators with the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety that he “took peoples’ lives,” officials said.
Police are still trying to determine a motive, and believe Dalton chose his targets at random.
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Dalton faces life in prison and was denied bail.
A spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said they seized several long guns and handguns from Dalton’s home.
Dalton is accused of shooting a woman multiple times at an apartment complex at 5:40 p.m. Saturday. That woman survived. Just over four hours later, Dalton allegedly shot and killed a father and son at a Kia car dealership.
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At 10:30 p.m., Dalton opened fire in a Cracker Barrel parking lot, killing four women in two vehicles, according to prosecutors. A 14-year-old was seriously wounded.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder called the killings “senseless violence at its worst.”
President Barack Obama declared “another one of our communities was terrorized by gun violence.”
